The crowd roared as the first match kicked off.
Class Six vs Class Three.
Ten students dropped into the reshaped arena, boots hitting metal before the rocky terrain fully formed. Artificial fog hissed out from the arena vents. Jagged structures jutted up, forming broken hills and narrow gaps. Visibility was trash.
Perfect for ambushes.
From the private booth, Class Zero watched in silence. The glass gave a perfect top-down view, like watching rats in a maze, only these rats had mana blades, gauntlets, and elemental cores strapped to their backs.
Evelyn leaned forward a bit. "Class Six’s got the numbers, but Class Three’s got that guy with the lightning tattoos, right?"
"Mm," Reia nodded. "Zyke. Rank D. Fights like a berserker, but he’s fast. If they let him loose..."
First flash of movement.
A student from Class Six darted behind one of the spires, launching a smoke orb high. Another hurled a flashbang toward the other side. The arena glowed briefly before the fog swallowed it again.
Then came the flicker.
One of the Class Six students dropped hard, smoke rising from his chest plate.
"Zyke’s in," Silas said. "Damn, he’s fast."
They watched the chaos unfold like it was clockwork. Every move calculated to bait or mislead. Spells clashed mid-air, explosions shaking the terrain, shockwaves rattling the glass of their booth.
He was watching everything—but not just the fight. His eyes were sweeping the upper seats, noting who was watching too closely. Not fans. Not instructors.
And in the VIP section, far above the main arena... Eron Thorn was watching too.
He sat back with his fingers folded beneath his chin. Face unreadable. But his eyes—his eyes never left the Class Zero box.
Beside him, Aldric stood in silence, wearing a sharp suit with a loose collar and no tie. Casual. Unbothered. He wasn’t paying much attention to the match either.
Until Eron leaned in and said something low. Real low.
Aldric blinked once. Then a slow smile spread on his lips. He tilted his head, following Eron’s gaze, and locked eyes with Class Zero’s booth.
Specifically, with Lucian.
The way his smile sharpened just a little said everything.
She glanced toward Lucian and leaned closer. "Someone’s watching."
But his body had already gone still.
Then slowly, he turned his head... and locked eyes with Aldric across the distance.
It lasted half a second.
But in that half second?
Something passed between them.
Like cold metal scraping bone.
Aldric’s grin widened.
Eron smiled again, softer now. No longer the charming patriarch. Just... patient. Calculating.
He looked back down at the match, even as Class Six fell apart below.
"Let them have their little victories," he murmured. "Zenith Week’s a bubble. Once it ends..."
He didn’t finish the sentence.
Aldric nodded slowly, folding his arms. "We’ll remind them."
The crowd exploded again—Zyke had just ended the last Class Six member with a brutal elbow to the temple, lightning still sparking off his skin. The referee barrier shot up a second later, halting the match.
But the buzz wasn’t about them.
Everyone was still talking about Class Zero.
And they hadn’t even fought yet.
Inside the booth, Vyn stood and walked to the corner, silent. Her eyes drifted to the arena, but her mind was clearly elsewhere. Evelyn watched her for a second, then leaned back in her seat.
"Reia," she said suddenly, "what’s Vyn’s fighting style? We haven’t really seen her go all out."
Reia adjusted her gloves. "You’ll see soon."
Silas glanced over. "You say that like it’s a warning."
Reia gave a small smirk. "It is."
Lucian didn’t comment. He stayed at the front of the booth, arms folded, watching the cleanup team reset the arena for the next match.
Athena’s voice buzzed into their earpieces.
"You’ll be up after the next round. Stay alert."
Reia exhaled. "Guess this is it."
Lucian finally moved, cracking his neck slightly.
"Just watch each other’s backs," he said, voice low.
Down in the prep corridors, Zyke walked past a hallway mirror and wiped the blood from his lip. His knuckles were still sparking slightly from leftover current. He didn’t look tired. If anything, he looked annoyed.
"Only took five hits," he muttered.
Behind him, one of his teammates chuckled. "You’re never satisfied."
"I’m not here to scrape wins," he muttered. "I’m here to see how I measure against that Class Zero freak."
Everyone knew the name now.
And Zyke wanted a real fight.
One he could bleed in.
Meanwhile, Eron stood from his seat above and stretched casually.
"I’ll be stepping out," he said to Aldric.
"Lobby," Eron replied. "Need to speak with a few sponsors. Calm the tides before they rise too high."
Aldric followed, hands in his pockets. "You think Class Zero’s that big a threat already?"
Eron smiled, but it wasn’t a warm one.
"I don’t care how strong a puppy is. If it grows into a wolf, you put a chain on it. Or you put it down."
He paused just before entering the private elevator.
"But not during Zenith Week," he added. "Let the school have its games."
Aldric nodded, still watching the arena. "And after?"
Eron pressed the button, the doors sliding closed. Just before they shut, he smiled again and said one last thing.
Aldric’s lips curved slowly.
He turned back to face the glass wall, eyes settling on Evelyn.
And then on Lucian again.
Like a man watching a puzzle unfold.
And already knowing where the missing pieces were.
Back in the arena, the second match began.
Terrain changed again—this time into a desert-style setup. Sand dunes. Heat mirage effect. Mana distortion across the battlefield.
Reia narrowed her eyes. "Now that’s annoying."
"Visual suppression," Evelyn muttered. "They’re testing how well we adapt."
Silas stretched. "Good thing we’ve got a living radar."
Lucian just stepped forward, eyes locked on the arena.
His gaze never shifted from the incoming teams.
But deep inside, something tightened.
He didn’t know what Eron was planning.
But he could feel it coming.
After, the real game would begin.
And Class Zero would be in the center of it.